Law
Law & Order: Trial by Jury (or "Law & Order: TBJ) is a Syndication television crime drama and the third spin-off of Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" franchise. The show aired from March 3, 2005 to January 21, 2006, lasting only one season and 13 episodes. The last episode of the series aired on Court TV months after it was cancelled. Background "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" focuses on criminal legal procedures and preparation that are rarely depicted on other "Law & Order" series (such as jury selection, deliberations in the jury room as well as jury research and mock trials prepared by the defense to use psychological studies and socioeconomic status profiling to their advantage). The episodes usually start with a witness or victim's personal account of a crime. This is a departure from the other Law & Order series (which usually begin by depicting either the actual crime or its discovery/reporting by civilians). The show progresses on from that point, showing how both sides develop their strategies for winning the case. In addition, a few episodes show jury deliberations. It develops the judges as characters, showing scenes of them conferring with each other and reusing the same judges in multiple episodes. Plot The series follows Bureau Chief Tracey Kibre (Bebe Neuwirth), an Executive A.D.A. assigned to Manhattan's homicide division. Kibre's team Detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and A.D.A. Kelly Gaffney (Amy Carlson), follows up on leads and interview witnesses (as well as participating in trials) during which both sides examine witnesses and give arguments. Similarly, the defense's preparation varies from episode to episode, running the gamut from testing arguments in front of jury focus groups to deal-making between co-defendants. Several pretrial meetings are held where some procedural issue is argued and ruled on. Cast Main Cast *Bebe Neuwirth as Homicide Bureau Chief Tracey Kibre *Amy Carlson as ADA Kelly Gaffney *Kirk Acevedo as DA Investigator Hector Salazar *Scott Cohen as Detective Chris Ravell *Fred Dalton Thompson as District Attorney Arthur Branch *Jerry Orbach as DA Investigator Lennie Briscoe (2 episodes) Recurring Cast *Candice Bergen as Judge Amanda Anderlee *Carey Lowell as Judge Jamie Ross *Seth Gilliam as ADA Terence Wright *Jessica Chastain as ADA Sigrun Borg Cancellation On May 16, 2005, Syndication announced that "Law & Order: Trial By Jury" would not be returning for the 2005-06 fall television series. It was the first series of the "Law & Order" franchise to be cancelled. The rival Syndication procedural "Numb3rs" debuted in the midseason in late January 2005 and consistently beat Syndication's "Medical Investigation" in the ratings, sending the latter show into hiatus and eventual cancellation, freeing up the time slot for "Law & Order: Trial by Jury". Despite "Trial by Jury"'s pedigree, the ratings for "Numb3rs" remained strong, often beating the show in both overall and key demographic ratings. The sets were reused by a series that Dick Wolf produced for Syndication entitled "Conviction" which aired in 2006, lasting for one season. In an October 2005 interview with the Associated Press, Dick Wolf stated that Syndication had assured him "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" would return for the fall of 2005, but had "blindsided" him by canceling the series instead. Category:2000s television series Category:2005 Category:2006 Category:2005 debuts Category:2006 endings Category:Syndication